Viktor/Strategy
Gameplay Proving it’s not just League’s exoskeletal beings that can evolve, we’re pushing a retooled through the Champion Update pipeline and onto live. We’ve given him a fresh coat of paint, updated most of his abilities, and completely changed how his and work - behold the details of Viktor’s ! Champion Update: Viktor, the Machine Herald ;Abilities Passive= ;Glorious Evolution Viktor begins the game with a , a unique item that can be upgraded three times during the course of the game. |-|Q= ;Siphon Power Viktor creates a shield around him and blasts an enemy unit with a round of . Additionally, Viktor deals with his . * }} – Siphon Power gives Viktor a moderate movement speed boost on cast. |-|W= ;Gravity Field Viktor creates a gravitational field at a target location, all non-friendly units inside it. The field triggers after a few seconds, all caught enemies. * }} – The gravitational field sucks all caught enemies toward its center as it triggers. |-|E= ;Death Ray Viktor fires a beam of energy across the battleground, damaging all enemies caught. * }} – The beam of energy explodes a moment after being cast, dealing a further round of damage. Enemies caught by both rounds take reduced damage from the explosion. |-|R= ;Chaos Storm Viktor creates an electrical storm at a target location that interrupts all nearby enemy channels and deals damage over time to all caught targets. Viktor can move the storm at will, though it loses movement speed as it travels farther from him. * }} – Chaos Storm moves slightly faster at all times. ;Augments Viktor’s augments offer him unique ways to tailor his kit towards specific playstyles and situations. If the enemy team’s built for skirmishing, Viktor can augment to speed him out of combat, or to create zones of denial around his or the enemy’s team. On the other hand, if his team has the makings of a wombo combo comp, Viktor can augment to cluster the enemy team together, opening the door for his team’s successive cycle of violence. Most importantly, these augments can be used together once Viktor has spent the required gold, giving him plenty of extra ability power, mana, and utility. Finally, once Viktor augments all three of his basic abilities, he automatically augments with the upgrade. ;Laning Viktor’s a sustained damage mage who thrives in the solo lanes of Summoner’s Rift. He trades effectively with , taking advantage of the shield to absorb his lane opponent’s assault as he deals his initial salvo. Crucially, Viktor wins hardest by staying close to his enemy following , triggering the -level on his next basic attack to inflict further damage. With clever positioning, Viktor can follow up with to last hit minions and whittle down the enemy champion even more. However, the ability’s raw power often pushes the lane, forcing the relatively immobile Viktor far from his tower. If this attracts the enemy jungler’s attention, Viktor has another hex-tech trick up his sleeve in the shape of , which he can place along his escape path to deter his aggressors. ;Teamfights thrives once teams start grouping together, giving Viktor the chance to wreak en masse carnage. Though unleashing it after an augmented offers ideal conditions for maximizing its damage output, dishes out enough area of effect damage on its own to deny Viktor’s enemies zone control and end enemy chases. gains huge power in clustered teamfights, too – with accurate casts, Viktor can send its withering line of destruction across the entire enemy backline, dealing scathing damage to multiple enemy squishies. Champion Spotlight Recommended Items Tips ;Playing As * is a powerful poke and a strong area of denial tool. Use it in combination with to control your enemy's position. * Make sure you choose the right at the right time. ;Playing Against * Be careful about how close you let get to you. control of the battlefield increases with his proximity to his opponent. * Be aware of how many augments has upgraded by looking at the color of the light on his staff ( , , , ). Tricks ;Ability Usage * Even by their stat bonuses alone, the and its upgrades make for a formidable mage item. They grant substantial ability power and mana. Arguably more important are the , boosting each of abilities. However, these have varying levels of importance in how they may actually impact fights. ** is very helpful, if not a priority. The burst of movement speed after each cast of acts as a much-desired (if unremarkable) form of mobility for . It allows him to kite and skirt around fights with greater ease. It also makes -enhanced attacks much easier to land on the desired target. ** is of mediocre use. In its base form already does an adequate job of setting up spell combos for both and his allies. In select cases, the repositioning effect can bring enemies back into spellcasting range. But on the negative side, you and your allies will need to be careful not to misplace spells while is active. ** is absolutely vital to mage role. The extra explosions in represent another chunk of damage in your already devastating combo of burst damage. It also allows to perform wave-clear duty in a single cast. ** is not an actual choice of , but is automatically obtained once the other three have been installed. Its actual value is negligible; while the extra speed of the cloud is useful in chasing enemies fleeing from its AoE, it still cannot keep up with those who use mobility skills, or . ** As a suggestion: should be strongly considered as a first , or even a big reason to upgrade the as your first purchase after the initial laning phase. The second upgrade and is a mid-game priority, with greater importance if you are considering . The third and final upgrade (with both the and ) are trivial, and can be safely ignored in favor of building more important items. *** If, however, you find yourself at base with that cannot go towards your next purchase, a upgrade is not a bad choice in the interim. * When aiming to deal damage with , remember to keep basic attack available and not 'on cooldown'. * Keep in mind that the initial target of and the target of a -enhanced attack do not need to be the same. can prime the buff (and the other bonuses) by using on minions or other targets, possibly surprising the enemy. * can be used to last-hit minions, as it has a short cooldown and a low mana cost. Do note the low initial damage of the spell, however. * Remember that the shield from is instantly gained upon casting the spell, and not dependent on the spell actually affecting the target. Furthermore, the shield's strength not based on the damage it does, so it makes no difference if you aim at a minion rather than a champion. ** This instant effect also applies to . * Keep in mind that offensive use of in most scenarios is very limited, as it costs a lot of mana and has a too short range to be used safely in this manner. Try to use it for zone denial and as a defensive measure versus ganks, rather than relying on it to set up combos. * can be very powerful for escaping melee attackers. By placing in your path, enemies will be either forced to go around or through it, slowing them down either way. * By using first, you can often ensure hitting an enemy with . ** Keep in mind when the enemy notices the , they will most likely run away (or to you depending on the closest exit). Place your appropriately. * is a useful long-range poke/harassment tool, although its mana cost is fairly high and should thus be used cautiously. * holds an advantage over most casters due to not being blockable by minions or a point-and-click spell. Use it to punish a brazen opponent using minions to try and shield themselves as they advance onto you. * can be used to quickly clear waves when returning to base, or preparing to roam and gank another lane. This becomes especially simple once is acquired. * provides sight along its path. Use it to safely check the brush or other areas. * Smart-casting is very different from most other abilities, and will take practice to perfect. One method is to place your mouse at the starting point, then 'flick' your cursor in the direction you wish the laser to travel. * lane presence increases significantly when he gets his ultimate ; combined with his other nukes and an he can easily burst down fragile targets. * Try to wait for people to fully commit to a fight or get trapped in your before using , as it deals deceptively strong damage-over-time if enemies are forced to stay near it. * Don't forget has an interrupt on cast. can easily interrupt deadly channeled abilities such as with . ;Mastery Usage * ;Item Usage * It can be difficult to decide what items requires, since he only has five available item slots (four if boots are included, which will most likely need) with the being an integral item that cannot be removed from his inventory. That being said, items that provide mana and mana regeneration can be ignored in favor of ability power, magic penetration and cooldown reduction, as the provides sufficient mana to keep in combat for a long time. He can also use the to aid his mana sustain if required. * Due to relatively short spell casting range, items that grant him some survivability through health, armor and magic resistance will aid him greatly. * and are almost mandatory purchases at some point in the game, giving the vital magic penetration needed to keep damage relevant as enemy champions buy defensive items. * A , already a straightforward and powerful offensive item for mages, is further improved by multiplying the high base AP from . * has fantastic synergy with , more specifically with his . The combination of and proc in a single attack offers incredible burst damage, and can be performed multiple times in a fight due to low cooldown. * is a well-rounded option for ; it solves his mana issues (noticeable when is maxed), grants a decent chunk of AP and MR, and perhaps most importantly grants valuable cooldown reduction to increase the uptime of his devastating . * is perhaps 's core offensive item; its passive synergizes extremely well with the DoT nature of his and with the AoE slow/stun on , as well as making him deadly to tanky targets in addition to squishies, while the magic penetration complements his high base damages. With cheap components and some health included for durability, is therefore a good item but should generally be taken later. * If you don't mind the relatively slow early-game stacking of and giving up some mid game power, can be a great item on since it synergises nicely with the mana boost and even mana boost. active also boosts survivability in teamfights due to the short-range nature of his kit. * If you're planning to go support , makes for an ideal starting item. and its slowing active can help keep enemies within and . * As is primarily a burst mage and deals most of his damage up-front, a makes a good complement to avoid retaliation. and will also remain active while he is in Stasis. * need to fight up close can make an well worth it. It may also be necessary to get when facing mage-killer champions like and . * A is a great pick-up, especially if does well early and can rush . * If against or , is good on . It will give him some AP and magic resist, while also giving him a shield to block one dangerous spell like . * grants a substantial amount of health alongside AP. More importantly, its slow effects make your even more potent as enemies will take more damage trying to escape. If you are close-up to the foe, increased movement speed and chasing ability can force them to take all of its damage. ;Countering * Invest in a magic resistance item to help mitigate damage. * gains a at the start of the game from his . It is wise to know the 's he takes to counter him. ** Remember that augmented will give him movement speed to help him escape from or catch up to you. * Keep in mind that has a deceptive long range, since the line itself has a range of 500 units. * deals 40% more damage once , but only if you stay in the area of effect. * is a vulnerable champion early-game in general; he is fairly squishy, has low escapability, and low base movement speed. Harass him if you are particularly good at doing it, and try to starve him of farm by freezing the lane. Most importantly, due to his vulnerability, take any opportunity you can to make ganks happen. * travels in a straight line (start to end), so by side stepping immediately you can dodge the ability. * Quickly move away from the AoE of to deny the chance to stun you. ** Champions who can remove disables (such as or ) are safe from only defense mechanism, and should exploit this. * will damage you continuously if you stay too close to the storm. By moving away from it, you can negate 's damage. * only has his to escape pursuers, and is relatively fragile once focused. Exploit his low mobility if he ever uses in a sub-optimal manner. References Category:Champion strategies Category:Viktor de:Viktor/Strategie